VOL XVIII. NO. 16
SEPTEMBER 16. 1950
A WEEKLY SURVEY
OF NORTH CAROLINA
Entered a* wond-cla** mailer. June 1. 1933.
«I
Ihc Pottoffice at Raleigh. North Carolina, under the Acl ol March 3. 1879
North Carolina Prospers As
Its Industries Prosper
The iii«liislri;il progress anil expansion of
our stale means everything so far as tlic»
general welfare of IVorlli Carolina as a
w hole is cont'erned.
WHEN someone starts singing
the praises of North Caro¬
lina he usually begins with
the gorgeous beauty of the moun¬
tains, continues with the rolling
plains of the Piedmont section,
dwells lovingly on the attractions
to be found in the Sandhill country
and goes into ecstasy over the pine-
forests. the broad and placid
streams, the productive farms and
the beautiful beaches in the coastal
area.
All of which certainly are well
worth mentioning, and every Tar
Heel is proud of them. Hundreds
of thousands of visitors from other
states and other countries come to
North Carolina every year and
revel in the scenic attractions that
are to be found in all parts of the
state.
Variety Land
Let's see; it was Bill Sharpe, we
believe, who coined the expression
“Variety Vacation Land” in con¬
nection with North Carolina.
That's an apt description. Scenery,
fishing, hunting, bathing, boating,
golfing, historical dramas and
pageants everywhere you go,
there’s some kind of attraction
that appeals to the visitor, and to
the home-folks as well.
The late Franklin D. Roosevelt
referred to North Carolina as "The
Best Balanced State." That's a
little broader than “Variety Vaca¬
tion Land." It takes in not only
scenery, but also industry, agricul¬
ture. mineral wealth, lumber and
other resources. We sometimes
wonder whether our people really
appreciate what these assets mean
in our development and progress.
We have made greater gains in
industry than any other state in
the South. In years gone by. North
Carolina was regarded as purely
an agricultural state. True there
were a few mills scattered around,
but they were comparatively small
in number. With the turn of the
century, a gradual expansion
began to take place, and this ex¬
pansion has continued steadily
throughout the years. It centralized
in the great Piedmont area, but it
has spread up into the mountain
country and also down along the
coast. Today you will find pulp and
К
per mills in Plymouth, Roanoke
pids and Canton — from one end
of the state to the other. You will
find textile mills in the extreme
western part of the state, and you
also will find them in Wilmington.
Greenville and other towns along
the coast. Furniture factories are
here, there and yonder, and other
IIKI.I’S IVIICYICOHY
When Industry is prosper¬
ous. there is general pros¬
perity throughout North Caro¬
lina. Hundreds of thousands
of people are given employ¬
ment. Raw products bring a
good price. Every resident of
the state is affected either
directly or indirectly — labor¬
ers. farmers, businessmen,
professional men: people in
every walk of life.
The purpose of this article
is to try (o bring about a
greater appreciation of the
value of the industries we
have here in North Carolina.
industrial establishments are lo¬
cated over an equally extensive
area.
We have reached an era when
we should appreciate the value of
these factories and mills and when
we should realize what they mean
to the state as a whole. We have
reached an era when we should
realize that North Carolina's prog¬
ress and prosperity depend U|>on
the progress and prosperity of
these industrial plants.
The Texas Attitude
The out-bragginest state in the
Union is said to be Texas, but when
it comes to the growth of our in¬
dustries, Texas can do very little
bragging when making compari¬
sons with North Carolina.
Texas may produce more cotton
than any other state in the Union,
she may have more cattle, she may
have greater petroleum wealth,
but —
North Carolina has the biggest
manufactory of household textiles
in the world — Cannon Mills, Inc.,
located in Kannapolis and other
towns.
North Carolina has the largest
denim mills in the world— one of
the Cone plants at Greensboro.
North Carolina has the largest
cigarette factory in the world the
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
Winston-Salem. North Carolina
raises more tobacco and manu¬
factures more cigarettes than any
other state.
North Carolina has the largest
damask mill in the world Rose¬
mary Manufacturing Company at
Roanoke Rapids.
North Carolina has the largest
THE STATE. SEPTEMBER 16. 1 950
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